Picture-display apparatus.



A. R. NHTCHELL. FlCTURE DISPLAY APPARATUS.

APPUCATION FILED OCT. 11.1915.

Patented 110C. 17, 1918.

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A. R. MITCHELL.

PICTURE DISPLAY APPARATUS. APPucANoN msn 0m11.191s.

1 ,288 ,1 14. Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

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A. R. MITCHELL.

PICTURE DISPLAY APPARATUS. APPLKCATION FILED OCT. ll. 1916.

l ,288,1 14., Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

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n YARCHIBALD nonnnrsony MITCHELL, or Lennon, ENGLAND.

PICTURE-DISPLAY APPARATUS.

inseam.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec.v 1f?, 1391.8.

` Application filed October 11, 1916. Serial No. 125,104.

To all tti/wm t may concern.' Y

Be it known that I, ARCHIBALD ROBERTSON MITCHELL, a subject of HisMajesty, the King of Great Britain, and resident of London, England,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Picture DisplayApparatus, of which thel following isa speciication.

rllhis invention relates to an improved picture display apparatus ofthelrind wherein a number of pictures composed of registering pictureportions or sections are' successively displayed. l,

rlhe object of my present invention is to provide a machine which can beutilized to display ordinary printed posters.

rlhe advantage possessed'by such a machine as l propose will be readilyAappreciated when it is remembered thatrmechanical advertising machinesof the general character to which my invention relates sutler from thedisability that the seriesl of pictures which the machine displayscannot be readily changed and another series substituted.

With my improved machine any picturev of the series can be readilyremoved and another substituted in its place, and moreover if it isdesired to display at. any time any ordinary poster of the sizeof themachine all that is necessary is to cut the poster up into strips andattach these strips to the machine.

The invention consists broadly in providing a number ofmovablestructures adapted to support removable and interchangeablepicture or poster strips or sections and to move the strips or sectionsinto and out of display position. Preferably the poster sections areheld in tension between the ends of two or more arms. 4

In order that the'invention-m'ay be vreadily understood and carried intopractice,`reter ence ishereby made to the accompanying drawings in whichis illustrated a practical embodiment of the invention. In thevapparatus depicted, live pictures are capable of being shown insuccession at predetermined intervals of time, each picture beingcomposed ot six sections.

n Referring to the drawings Figure l is a front view of a picture orposter displaying apparatus arranged in accordance with my invention,with a portion of the wood framework broken away.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational View of the apparatus with the woodframework and some of the poster sections removed for clearness. F ig..3is a side elevational viewot Fig. 2.

Fig. t is a sectional plan view of .part 'ofV the apparatus showninFigs. 2 and 3.

igt is an enlarged plan view of a part of Fgs.,2 and 3. l c

Fig. 6 is an enlargedelevational view of a part of Figs. 2, 3 and 4.*

7 is a plan View of. Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an renlarged detail of a part of Figs. l, 2 and 3. I

Fig..9 is a section of Fig. 8. f

Fig. lO is an enlarged elevational view of a detail/of the apparatusshown in Figs. 2,' 3, and 4, and Y..

Fig. 1l is a section on line A-A'o'f Fig. l0.

Referring to these drawings wherein like numerals indicate correspondingparts wherever occurring, the' numeral l. designates the picturevorposter section, the top and bottom corners of which are folded over thinmetal plates 2, the said corners being clamped down by means of clips 3,whichfsecurely hold the' top and bottom parts of theY poster sections tothe plates 2.V These plates are heldin position onthe ends of the'radialsupporting arms 4 by means'of thefprojecting buttons or studs 5 (seeparticularly Figs. 8 and 9) which arel tiXed to the ends of the saidsupporting arms, the enlarged ends of the studs passing through holes inthe plates 2 when the latter are pressed on. It' willA be appreciatedthat the operating mechanism of the apparatus is in duplicate, onesetoperating the upper radial arms and the other set the lower radialarms, while the movements of'these two sets of mechanism areiarranged tosynchronize as will behereinafter explained.

The supporting arms 4g are preferably made of'liexiblel material such asstrip steel so that when the plates 2 carrying the picture or postersectionsY are placed in' positionY the picture sections will bemaintained in a stateof tension.

. Each one of the radial supporting arms is bent at right angles/theends to which the plates 2 are attached being maintained in verticalplanes while the othervparts of the arms are in horizontal planesas'willv be reall-l ily understood by reference to Figs. 2 and 3V of thedrawings.

The ends of some of the horizontal parts of the arms 4 are rigidlysecured'to the proj ecting lugs 6 ot the brackets or cages Y, the otherends being also rigidly attached to lugs formed on the sleeves 8. Thecages and sleeves carrying the radial supporting arms 4 are arranged toturn freely on the xed spindles 9, and are also provided. withprojecting ends 1G to which are pivotally connected the ends ot thelevers 11, the other ends of these levers being connected to Athecross-bars 12, which in turn are connected at 13 to the curvedbell-crank levers 14. These bell-crank levers are pivotally mounted ifon fixed spindles 15, and are connected together by means ot tie-bars16.

Certain oit the bell-crank levers 14 are provided with short armscarrying rollers 17 and 18 as may be seen particularly in Figs. 4 and 7,adapted to contact with cams 19 and 2O respectively mounted upon therotatable shaft 21. Each pair of cams 19 and 20 are arranged one abovethe other in such a manner that the lower cam only contacts with theroller 17 while the upper cam 20 contacts only with the roller 18, aswill be readily understood by reference to Figs. 6 and 7. The contour ofthe camsy is such that the levers 14 are positively locked in both thenormal and operative positions.

Y Rigidly secured to the shaft 21 is a star wheel :22 provided with tenpointed members and engaging with these pointed members are two pins 23fixed to the toothed wheel 24 which .is loosely mounted on the fixedshaft 25.

Also loosely mounted on this shaft is a sleeve 26 carrying the wormwheel 27 and toothed wheel 28, this wheel gearing with another wheel '29connected by means ot' a sleeve with the toothed wheel 30, said sleevebeing also loosely mounted on the auxiliary fixed shaft 31. Gearing withthe worin wheel 27 is a worm 32 driven by the shaft 33, and this shaftis coupled by means ot the flexible connection 34 to the shaft of themotor 35. The operation oit the apparatus is as follows: 0n starting upthe motor, the worm wheel 27 is caused to rotate, by means ot the worm32, so causing the toothed wheel 24 also to rotate at a certainpredetermined speed through the medium of the wheels S28, 2.9 and 30which constitute a suitable reduction gear. As the wheel 24 slowlyrotates the pins 23 will be caused to engagey with the star wheel 22once in every revolution of the wheel 24, and this will have the eiectofturning the star wheel and also the shaft 21 an amount equal to onefifth ci a revolution. Each time the said star wheel and shaft are sooperated the cams 19 are also moved a corresponding amount, and one ofthe levers 14 in the upper part of the apparatus will be moved in unisonwith corresponding 1cver 14 in the lower halt ot the apparatus, therespective sets ot levers 11 and 1Q connected to these levers 14 being4moved at the same Lasalle A tinieso operating the ltoppand bottomradial Y arms carrying the sections of one picture or posterV to bedisplayed.Y it will thus be seen that for each picture or vposterdisplayed one set ot cams and connecting levers in the upper part ot'the apparatus is moved in unison with la corresponding set in `the lowerpart of the apparatus and. thus the necessary synchronous movement, ofthe radial arms carrying the top and'bottoin ends ot the picture orposter sectionsY is'obtained.

Each set of cams so operating together are arranged at suoli an angle'tothe set next'opf. erated that the picture sections in the dis-H playedposition are withdrawn betere the next set or" picture sectionsarebrought into.

the displayingl position. l if i in ordei to bring tue radial arms 4pioperly to register in their required positions and also to minimizeany.; vibration that might be set up,

other suitable material may be provided,

supported by members 37 arranged near the trent ot the apparatusas-shownin Figsfl and 3. 'f f To provide tor the illumination ot' thedisplayed pictures or posters atV night, lamps 38 may be providedsituated in the vinterior` of the apparatus, and in order that thelights may be put out at the pictures or posters, a make and breakdevice is included in the lamp circuit. This device may convenientlytake theformV of a. plate 39 (see particularly Figs. 2, 3 and 5) with apart or" its edge-cut away, which` plate is carried by the pins 23.VArranged above this plate and normally in contact with it is a' smallblock 40 of insulating mabuners 36 or' rubberpor.

the moment of changing n terial attached to the underside of a latspring 41 which carries at one end a termi@` nal 42. immediat-ely abovethis f terminal is another terminal 43 carried by the fixedsupport 44.Normally. the ,block 40 is maintained above the top surface of the plate39 against the action ot'thespring 41 Vso closing the contacts betweenthe terminals 42 and 43 and consequently the lamp.circuit,.but at themoment of changing one picture or poster for another, the block 40 would`drop slightly owing to plate 39. breaking was again raised by means ofthe-wedge like n action between the block and the edge of' thev saidplate.

An alternative method of illuminating to provide lamps in a convenientposition outside the apparatus, preferably near the inner edges 44 oftheframing 45, so that the displayed pictures or posters would beilluminated from the outside instead of the inside of the apparatus. Y nWhat l claim and desire to secure by Let ters Patent is 1. A picturedisplay apparatus compristhe cut away part of ther This would havethey-eil'ect of' the lamp circuit until the block` ing means :forcarrying a number of pictures each consisting of separated flexiblestrips, means for maintaining tension upon each strip, means for causingcertain of the strips to register together side by side in abuttingrelation in the same plane, and means for separating the flexible stripsforming the displayed picture one from the other and carrying them outof display position whereby different complete pictures made up ofseparate flexible strips are successively displayed and removed fromdisplay position in sequence.

A picture display apparatus comprising means for carrying a number ofpictures each consisting of separated flexible strips, means forremovably attaching each strip to its carrying means, means formaintaining tension upon each strip, means for causing certain of thestrips to register together side y side in abutting relation in the sameplane, and means for separating the llexible strips -forming thedisplayed picture one from the other and carrying them out of displayposition whereby different complete pictures made up ofseparate'flexible strips are successively displayed and removed fromdisplay position in sequence.

3. A picture display apparatus comprising radial swinging arms forcarrying a number of pictures each consisting of separated flexiblestrips, means for maintaining Copies of this patent may be obtained forfive cents each,

tension upon each strip, means for causing certain o' the strips toregister together side by side in abutting relation in the same plane,and means for separating the flexible strips forming the displayedpicture one from the other and carrying them out of display positionwhereby different complete pictures made up of separate flexible stripsare successively displayed and removed from displaying position insequence.

4f. A picture display apparatus comprising radial swinging arms ofresilient material for carrying and holding separate flexible picturestrips in tension, means for removably attaching each strip to itscarrying means, means for maintaining tension upon each strip, means forcausing certain ot' the strips to register together side by side inabutting relation in the same plane, and means for separating theflexible strips forming the displayed picture one from the other andcarrying them out of display position whereby diderent complete picturesmade up of separate liexible strips are successively displayed andremoved from display position in sequence.

In testimony whereof I alilx my in presence of two witnesses. v

ARCHIBALD ROBERTSON MITCHELL. Witnesses:

VINCENT HUGHES, DAISY EVERY.

signature by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

